More Bad News For The President

For an administration that has reportedly made poll testing a center piece of administration policy one hopes key individuals in the administration are asking themselves; “what went wrong?” For the rest of us the question is; “does the President even care?” So far, there is no indication that he does, in the face of a variety of crisis the response seems, most often to be, fundraising and golf. Golf may be a good way to clear the mind but the optics are disturbing and may be more than optics. It may be the inherent arrogance and narcissism the President has often been accused of with that chorus finding more Democrats joining by the day.

The latest WSJ/NBC poll is bad news for the President; even NBC seems to have been forced into that position. The right track/wrong track numbers are holding steady at two to one, wrong track. On job performance and the economy the numbers hover in the 41% approval zone. On foreign policy the President is at 37% approval, his lowest rating in nearly two years in this poll. We have traveled far from the point of his re-election where his ratings on foreign policy were his only number over 50%.

A further indication of widespread erosion was the question that asked respondents to react to names of public figures and groups. In January of 2009 43% has a very “positive response” to Obama, today that number is 20%. In that same time frame Obama went from a 6% “very negative” response to 31%, that is a change of over 400% to the negative.

On the “government should do more or is doing too much” question the “do more” numbers have hovered around 50%, now 50% say “too much” turning against a fundamental underpinning of Administration philosophy.

Of concern is that there is very little movement related to how interested the respondents are in the upcoming November elections. Polls are often schizophrenic. Despite consistent rejection of Obama policies, the respondents preferred a Democratically controlled Congress over Republican control by 2 points with 12 undecided. The poll also shows that the traditional re-election of Congressional incumbents may be facing a sea change. A year ago the poll indicated that 57% would like to see “someone else given a chance” that number receded, peaked at a high of 63% in October of 2013 returning to 57%.

41% say that over the past year the performance of the Obama administration has “gotten worse”, 15% say “gotten better”. Obama is losing the electorate over both policy and competence. On an issue by issue compilation, when respondents among the 15% were asked to rate areas of improvement the highest issue specific number was 5%. On the other side of the coin 12% was the high water mark amongst the 41%. Even supporters who feel that administration performance has improved are tepid in their enthusiasm or hard pressed to put a finger on the actuality of the improvement.

A factor in the apparent lack of enthusiasm relates to the economy where only 27% feel the economy will get better in the upcoming year, 48% say it will stay about the same, 24% saying it will worsen.

There is, in the interest, of fairness polling that also supports the President’s position on issues related to immigration, EPA regulations and climate change. The hard core on climate change is however only 30% with a nearly equal number saying “some” action should be taken. One wonders what the response would be if there were a dollar figure or an economic impact number included in the question or that it were phrased in the context that neither India or China, the worst polluters, would change their policies and would benefit from further restrictions on American business?

The departure from Afghanistan shows major support for the President’s position, with 65% saying the war was “not worth it”, however 59% oppose the closing of Gitmo.

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About The Author

D. E. Landreaux

D.E. Landreaux began writing political commentary realizing an irresistible urge to have a voice in the political process beyond the voting booth.

Bob

With more and more articles describing the ineptness of the current administration in foreign affairs something needed to be done to slow the international and domestic hemorrhage of trust.

As with the supposed killing of Osama bin Laden our Special Forces come through with the capture of one of the attackers on our Benghazi embassy. The capture of Ahmed Abu Khattald took 21 MONTHS WHILE THE CAPTURE AND IMPRISONMENT OF THE FILM MAKER TOOK 16 DAYS. It wasn’t American resolve that captured him as the President suggest. No!..Ahmed Abu Khattald was living out in the open the whole time in Libya and was even giving interviews to the New York Times and Reuthers in Benghazi on the 18th of October 2012.Like everything else our government does it does it when it is convenient to their agenda…..and trumpets their results. Think back of how the administration has a habit of side tracking the conversation when a scandal has been hot.

Oh! and it isn’t just the current administration. The Bush administration had the commander of the Benhazi attack Abu Safian Bin Qumu in custody but released him from Gitmo in 2007.

IN MOST CAUSES, prisoners get released… When found guilty OF A CRIME with TIME SERVED…

Bob

“It is assessed the detainee poses a MEDIUM TO HIGH risk as he is likely to pose a threat to the United States,it’s interest and allies…..Detainee has a long term association with Islamic extremist Jihad and members of Al Qaida and other extremist groups…….The Libyan government considers detainee a dangerous man with no qualms about committing terrorist acts.He is known as one of extremist commanders of the Afghan Arabs.”

From the JTF GTMO Detainee Assessment of Abu Safian Bin Qumu dated 22 April 2005 (see page 3 of assessment)written 2 years before his release.

IN MOST CAUSES, prisoners get released… When found guilty OF A CRIME with TIME SERVED…

Bill Hedges

fyi

“It is assessed the detainee poses a MEDIUM TO HIGH risk…”

WISH they would throw me in jail FOR THAT. TED TURNER I’d be richer THAN YOU.

MORE _ ger·mane _, Bush DID NOTHING wrong releasing Abu Safian Bin Qumu to ANOTHER Country. His subsequent recidivism, happens more OFTEN than NOT. OUR legal system recognizes is price WE PAY TO HONOR our Constitution…

Bill Hedges

THE big fat KICK to bob’s CASE:

bob SAYS:

“The Libyan government considers detainee a dangerous man with no qualms about committing terrorist acts.”

SAY this “isn’t so Joe” (bob):

“Abu Sufian Ibrahim Ahmed Hamuda Bin Qumu (born 26 June 1959) is a citizen of Libya”

Time to take a tactical retreat bob. DEPORTATION of criminals to their home Country IS COMMONPLACE. In this case, wipes our laws off their case.
___

MORE Let’s review comments I MADE that you weren’t able to read with comprehension:

fyi

“It is assessed the detainee poses a MEDIUM TO HIGH risk…”

WISH they would throw me in jail FOR THAT. TED TURNER I’d be richer THAN YOU.

MORE _ ger·mane _, Bush DID NOTHING wrong releasing Abu Safian Bin Qumu to ANOTHER Country. His subsequent recidivism, happens more OFTEN than NOT. OUR legal system recognizes is price WE PAY TO HONOR our Constitution…
__

your last comment:

“IF HE IS DEEMED A THREAT TO THE UNITED STATES AND IT’S ALLIES YOU DON’T RELEASE HIM AT ALL !”

Lybia DOES NOT have the Constitution WE HAVE. Recidivism rate in OUR JAILS are SUPER HIGH. “THREAT TO THE UNITED STATES”. Let’s NOT RELEASE when their time IS UP.

MORE Let’s review comments I MADE that you weren’t able to read with comprehension:

“Abu Sufian Ibrahim Ahmed Hamuda Bin Qumu (born 26 June 1959) is a citizen of Libya”

((( Libyian citizen))) bob. What better place to dump this guy.

“Qumu was transferred to Libya on 28 September 2007?

Libya released this guy Libya called a “dangerous man”.
___

Concluding. bob says:

“IF HE IS DEEMED A THREAT TO THE UNITED STATES AND IT’S ALLIES YOU DON’T RELEASE HIM AT ALL !”

Provide the Constitutional backing of that statement. Releasing a Libyan citizen to Libya relies a headache.

Didn’t both Bush & buma learn WAS BEST to keep THESE THREATS off American land, unless due process was followed. Expected judicial action be it military or civilian courts.

OK bob. I repeated, repeated, repeated THE SAME THING. Did it penetrate ???
___

It started with your:

“Oh! and it isn’t just the current administration. The Bush administration had the commander of the Benhazi attack Abu Safian Bin Qumu in custody but released him from Gitmo in 2007.”

Bush didn’t release to open range feed. He was released to his home Country that found him to be a THREAT. RELEASED when felt he was _ re·ha·bil·i·tated _.

“After Bush political appointees at the U.S. Office of Legal Counsel, Department of Justice advised the Bush administration that the Guantanamo Bay detention camp could be considered outside U.S. legal jurisdiction, military guards took the first twenty detainees to Guantanamo on 11 January 2002. The Bush administration asserted that detainees were not entitled to any of the protections of the Geneva Conventions. Ensuing U.S. Supreme Court decisions since 2004 have determined otherwise and that the courts have jurisdiction: it ruled in Hamdan v. Rumsfeld on 29 June 2006, that detainees were entitled to the minimal protections listed under Common Article 3 of the Geneva Conventions.[5] Following this, on 7 July 2006, the Department of Defense issued an internal memo stating that prisoners would, in the future, be entitled to protection under Common Article 3.”